Page 16

Sunday, April 26, 2167

The Gray Ward

Dragon Heights, Wyoming

Cedrick waited for me,and a purple dragon lounged outside of the building. Her size, that of a pony, indicated I dealt with an ancient being. As the dragon might be able to help, I ignored the titanium dragon-kin and went straight for the bird’s best bet, holding out the swaddled bundle. “She drank nectar, but she’s been very lethargic.”

The dragon settled on to her back legs and held out a clawed paw. “And your other bird tolerated her presence?”

“I told him she needed help.”

“He is a true creation, her familiar,” Cedrick stated, coming over and grinning at me. “She probably wasn’t able to drink much if her tongue is stuck.”

“It is partially stuck,” the dragon reported. “An easy enough matter for me to fix. I swear, people need to take better care with their feeders. Without magic, this would be a death sentence for her. But yes, she was able to drink a little, which is why she is still alive. That you carried her helped as well. Cedrick, do be a dear and put that solution I whipped up into a nectar dish.”

Cedrick scampered off to do as told, leaving me on the street with the purple dragon.

“Thank you for your help, ma’am.”

“Aren’t you just a polite little thing? It’s no problem. We live to serve, and we do not refuse medical care to even the smallest among us. To ignore her would be to do harm, and we purples do our best to do no harm.” The dragon unwrapped the bird with a claw to better expose her head. “Yes, it is a good thing you brought her to me. She is dying. She must have viewed you as a safe haven. Be a love and open the door, please.”

I did as the dragon asked, holding the door open so she could enter the lobby. “Will she be okay?”

“She will be, assuming there are no complications.”

Cedrick came out from the back carrying a nectar dish with a stand filled with a milky fluid. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Some fresh nectar for the birds,” the dragon instructed before going to the reception desk and easing the bird out of the cloth. “My dear, please pick her up and ease her beak into the solution. Cover the entirety of her head if necessary. I will use magic to make certain her airways remain clear. It is made of magic and medicine. The medicine will treat both fungal and bacterial infections. The magic will speed the process along, allowing her to open her beak and make use of her tongue as the fungus is purged. There will be a production of a slimy fluid from her beak. This is normal, and it’s the magic and medicine at work. Please also have your bird dip his beak into the solution, on the other side of the dish. That will prevent the fungus from spreading.”

Before I had a chance to ask Tourmaline to do as the dragon instructed, he launched off my head, took the whole body approach and went into the dish to bathe, covering himself from beak tip to tail in the fluid. He then hopped to the perch, shook off, and began the process of preening.

The little female mustered the strength to get up on her own, and she followed Tourmaline’s example. Rather than get out of the dish, she stayed in it, dunking her head repeatedly.

Sure enough, the dark growths on her beak began to ooze fluid, and within ten minutes, they disappeared altogether.

Cedrick brought out a proper feeder with multiple perches, carrying it to the birds and holding it close so they could hop from the dish without having to take flight. Tourmaline settled in for his lunch, and after observing him, the female once again followed his lead.

“Is she a regular bird?” I asked, wondering at her odd behavior.

“Judging from the level of fungal growth, she was either summoned or lives here,” the purple dragon said, observing both birds. “Now that she is feeling better, she is watching his behavior to see if he is a threat. If he does not drive her from his territory, she may interpret that as an opportunity to establish a nest. She is young enough she knows to learn from the older birds, and while he is a young creation, he has you guiding him when his instinct is, perhaps, insufficient due to his nature. But in a world of magic, almost anything is possible.”

Almost.

“Does she need any more care?”

“No, the medicine has removed the fungal infection. I can’t promise she won’t contract it again in the future. People are bad about cleaning their feeders. If you find other birds like that, just bring them to young Cedrick here, and he can send them our way. There are mundane rescues, but once their tongues are hampered, it often requires magic to save them. Don’t stress yourself about it. She will fly away and go about her business and establish a nest somewhere. And should she follow you home, I am sure you can hang a feeder and a nest on your door to cater to her without turning her into an indoor bird. I would discourage her from entering your home if possible. She is a wild animal and should be allowed to remain wild. Nectar that is clean and readily accessible and a nest she can call home near yours will be all you need to do should she follow you. But I suspect she lives here, as there is enough magic in even the air here to do things like give little birds heightened intelligence.”

“Maybe you can lock her in the building while I escape with Tourmaline and Garnet. Then you can take her and release her somewhere safe. I think the last thing I need is a wild hummingbird living on my street. There aren’t a lot of flowers for her, and she won’t be a happy bird.” I stared at Cedrick, hoping that the dragon-kin understood he would help me or I’d be forced to take measures.

He laughed at me. “Easily done. Flee while you can, Kinsley. I’ll make sure this little girl finds a good home, even if she has to be spoiled rotten in my father’s menagerie.”

I liked the thought of the little girl being spoiled rotten. “Can we do that anyway? It’s a gift that keeps on giving, and if she’s spoiled rotten, she’s not wanting for anything, is she? Surely, you’ll get other birds like her from this rain.”

“That would be suitable for her. The menagerie would have everything she needs,” the purple dragon rumbled. “That would be a good way to safeguard her health. She would always have clean nectar.”

“Then that issue is resolved. She will go home with me, and I will tell my father we must make space for my new pet bird.”

I appreciated I wasn’t the only sucker in Dragon Heights. “I’ll even bring Tourmaline over from time to time so they can have a play date.”

“If we end up rolling in baby hummingbirds, I’m fully blaming you for this.”

“I can live with that.”

* * *

Sunday, April 26, 2167

The Gray Ward

Dragon Heights, Wyoming

A tall,dark, and handsome man reminiscent of Erik but with green eyes instead of brown loitered on my doorstep. His jawline had a sharper edge than my ex-fiancé’s, and as I drew closer, I eyeballed him as being an inch or two taller. Garnet changed from her wisp form and took over my shoulder, growling at our visitor.

According to his apparel, he was a cop.

Judging from Cecilia’s commentary, her favored yellow had come calling.

Making good use of my new understanding of the situation, courtesy of my parents, Erik had family in Dragon Heights.

I went up the steps, dug out my keys, and said, “You will pretend you know nothing of Erik, anything outside of Dragon Heights, and that as far as you know, I popped out of the ground fully formed without assistance from any parents.”

My unexpected guest laughed. “But I like Erik.”

“Brother?” I guessed.

“That might be the case.”

“Are you the little yellow dragon that Cecilia keeps talking about?”

“Yeah, I am.”

Great. Trouble had come calling, and he did an excellent job of reminding me why I’d sacrificed everything for his brother’s sake. Rather than allow the hurt to boil up and surface, I quenched it, straightened my back, and considered him, hoping with an interested expression rather than one betraying my emotions. “I’m not dating you, but you can tell Cecilia you’re my type just to screw around with her. I do like that you’re teaching the cops to play nice with the brothel workers. You’re doing good work there. I just thought I’d warn you if you keep playing hard to get, you might end up with an entire harem of brothel women willing to show you a good time. You’re well on your way to earning your place as the king of that brothel.” Given some more time, I bet he could even wrangle Cecilia—and he’d make her like it. I unlocked the door, opened it up, and gestured for him to come inside. “What brings you my way?”

“You’re in the paper.” Erik’s brother followed me inside, glancing around the place. If anything like his brother, he likely contemplated how to burn the whole place down to get me out of it. I opted to ignore his disdain for my home, set up a clean feeder for Tourmaline, and put a small serving of milk out for Garnet.

“I’m actually on official business, as my supervisor saw the article and wanted to do a wellness check. He’s aware I visit the brothel to improve our relationship with the workers, so he sent me over. After dealing with those dragons, you are clearly on your last leg. He was so convinced he’d finally be able to catch them doing something wrong. Instead, they were dragging you around Dragon Heights and treating you like a lost princess in dire need of retail therapy. As they have a reputation of doing that for people they like, he is being forced to send me to check in on you just in case.”

The article would do worse than haunt me; trouble would ambush me around every corner. However, I burst out into laughter at the thought of my parents being shady, and that included after considering my father’s abilities as a navy dragon. The lost princess part absolutely tracked, which added to my amusement over the situation. “I saw the article. Nobody noticed the resemblance?”

“Erik saw the picture. I thought I’d give you warning. Since I was ordered over to check on you, I thought I’d kill multiple…” Erik’s brother stared at my hummingbird. “I can’t say that. I might lose my life if you think I’d actually kill any birds, with or without stones.”

I appreciated that he understood how I operated. “Thank you.” I glanced at Tourmaline, who flitted off to his nest to take a nap. “I’m a bit unreasonable when it comes to the little ones.”

“Anyone who has heard of you by reputation knows. As for your family, no. Nobody noticed any resemblance. While I know you’re a very pretty, slender, and non-muscular version of your father, nobody was looking for the tell-tale signs. I really doubt anyone is going to guess. Your plan to test into the system should be fine.”

Well, that was something. The rest of his statement would cause me problems, however. If Erik saw the picture, he knew I’d seen my parents, which meant he’d be paying them a visit. If he paid them a visit, my parents would absolutely inform him I’d issued a challenge. Then, Erik being Erik, would go right overboard and do his best to meet my terms. And he would, because Erik operated on stubborn pride once he got an idea into his head. “Your brother is in Dragon Heights, isn’t he?”

“He is.”

I regretted the lack of alcohol in my apartment, as I’d empty the bottle and hope the hangover dulled me to the reality of life for a while. “What’s your name?”

“Chester.”

“All right, Chester. I’m going to clear some air with you, as I don’t know what you know, I don’t know what your brother has told you, and I don’t want any problems. I left so Erik wouldn’t get dragged down with me. We entered that relationship with both of us having goals and an understanding we would not get in the way of each other making our dreams a reality. When my ship sank, I did as I promised I would from the start: I would not get in the way of him becoming a captain. Or a chief. Or even a commissioner if he made it that far. I made my mistakes. I pushed my heritage too far on my quest for justice. Well, at least in Miami.”

“Here, your abilities would be cherished, and you’d be moved to the top tier of detectives as soon as eligible.” Chester looked me over, and he huffed. “Are you going to return to the force after you test in?”

Well, at least he held confidence in my ability. “I was planning on entering forensic accounting. After Miami, I think I need a change in pace. I thought I might hunt people being crooks with money rather than haunt myself with the truth of bodies.”

Chester made a thoughtful sound and nodded. “I took the liberty of bringing in the force’s requirements for those who test in. We do, for the record, employ forensic accountants in Dragon Heights. You’d also help detectives go over financials, something I know you’re highly skilled at. In fact, if my brother is to be believed, you’re even better at the financials than you are at the homicide investigations, and that’s including your abilities. Ideally, the force would team you with Erik and use you on the big cases needing some extra care.”

Interesting. In Miami, detectives had been expected to handle the financials even when someone else might have been better suited for the work.

“He wants to be a captain, not a detective,” I reminded him.

“In Dragon Heights, detectives and higher ranks all work on investigations. He could be any rank except commissioner and be involved with investigations. The commissioner does not work directly in any investigations.” Chester stared at Garnet, who worked hard at licking her bowl clean. “Erik thought you didn’t like animals.”

“I’m afraid the exact opposite is true. I never wanted to have animals because I was not sure I could give them the attention they need and deserve. But Garnet and Tourmaline can come with me most places, and if I do need to leave Garnet at home, I’m not going to be worried about her much. She’s smart, and with her wisp form, she can let herself out and find me if something is seriously wrong. I’m going to have to teach her some independence, but I’m hoping once I have her gemstone collection established, she’ll want to stay home sometimes and admire her sparkling treasures.” I smiled down at the kitten, who finished her treat, came over, and rubbed against my legs. I bent down to pet her. “This is Erik’s brother, Chester. Do you remember how I was talking to my parents about Erik?”

The carbunclo chirped, sat, and bobbed her head.

I rewarded her with more petting. “Erik is a little shorter than Chester, his eyes are brown, and he’s a bit more…” Hmm. How could I explain the differences between the brothers without offending Chester?

“Egotistical comes to mind. You might want to try cocky. He’s not flamboyant; he does not need to show off to let everyone know he is a superior being. He is quietly smug. He knows his worth, and he isn’t shy about letting people know that. Frankly, I’m impressed he found a woman capable of tolerating him at all.”

Ouch. Had Erik done something to irritate his brother? “He’s also kind,” I stated in Erik’s defense.

“He’s kind, yes. He’s compassionate, as well. But he’s definitely egotistical. He’s a lot like me, but he carries himself straighter and with more pride. He’s confident.”

Yes, confident was a good word for Erik. “He can be humble, Chester.”

“He’s very bad at being humble, but he does try. He’s beautiful and he knows it. We’re all beautiful, though.”

I sighed, rolled my eyes over Chester’s antics, and scooped my kitten up. “Erik is quite similar to his brother, Garnet.”

“I’m a dog person, but Erik is definitely a cat person, and he wants to pet your kitten.”

I stared at the cop, raising a brow at his statement. “When was the last time you spoke to your brother?”

Chester checked his watch. “About two hours ago. Why do you ask?”

“Does he know you’re coming here?”

“No, he doesn’t, but because he is working here in the force, he has access to your address. He knows where you’re at, and he’s debating how best to approach you. As I was ordered to come here anyway, I thought I’d help my brother’s cause and test the waters.”

“Is Millson his real last name?”

“Millson is our last name. Most of our family works in the force in some capacity. My mother’s sleeping with the commissioner, which counts.”

For fuck’s sake. Erik’s father was the commissioner? I’d made a point of avoiding checking into the law enforcement situation, which held top responsibility for failing to notice the commissioner’s name. “And he goes by Millson?”

“Yep.”

“I am an idiot.” I bowed my head and heaved a sigh. “I was so determined to dodge being a cop that I refused to look into anything more than the basics.”

“To be fair, most people have no idea who the police commissioner for their area is. It’s just not something average people care about. They might know the name of their captain, and that’s only if the captain is vocal during election season. It’s just not something most people care about. I don’t know anyone who has checked who the commissioner of a city is before moving there. They find out later if at all. But yes, Dad is the commissioner. We have a system for if we get into disciplinary trouble; one of the other clans handles the situation, and Dad is expected to generally agree unless he can prove something is being handled in an unfair fashion. There are penalties on the books for doing such a thing, so everybody plays fair. We try to avoid earning Dad’s wrath, though. Also, if Dad had been in Miami when you’d been pushed out, things would have turned out a great deal differently. Erik learned his sense of justice from our father. Have you been told what he did before leaving Miami?”

I gave Garnet a kiss on her nose, set her back on the floor, and suggested that she go play. The kitten tore off, and after a moment, there was a thump before the sound of her wheel being used with great vigor. “I was told he got pissed about why I left and cleared my name.”

“That’s a decent summary, albeit he was a bit more romantic about it than that. He pitched an absolute fit that a bunch of prejudiced so-and-sos cost him the love of his life. Because the love of his life worked hard to secure justice for those who no longer had a voice, using purple dragon magic to accomplish that cause.”

I bowed my head, drew in a deep breath, and let it out in a gusty sigh. “How embarrassing. Clearly, I can never return to Miami due to the high risk of death from embarrassment.”

Chester snickered. “Erik said you’d probably react that way, as you are not a fan of having too much attention drawn onto yourself. While you’re a stellar detective, you’d make a terrible captain. The first time you are interviewed by a reporter, according to him, you’ll either skin the reporter alive with the power of your words alone or run away.”

“Probably both,” I admitted. Picking up Garnet’s dish, I cleaned it, returned it to its spot on the counter, and considered how best to make use of Erik’s brother. “Actually, I’m glad you came by. What’s with the string of attacks and murders going on in Dragon Heights?”

“Heard about that, have you?”

“I started reading the local newspapers recently.” Fortunately for my sanity, I spoke the truth—and I had no intention of betraying Cedrick or Cecilia to anyone in the force. By the time I finished grilling Chester, he’d believe my past haunted me.

He need not know I worked under the table doing private investigations.

“Mind if I take a load off?”

“Go for it. If those mean cops haven’t been feeding you, I’ll even make you a bite to eat.”

“Dad’s expecting the family for dinner, so I’ll pass. I value my life, and my mother might cook me for dinner if I refuse her food.”

Uh oh. “Is Erik going to be at dinner?”

“Yep.”

I narrowed my eyes. Rather than play a game of cat and mouse, I could show up, see what he had to say, and handle the problem directly. Garnet and Tourmaline would charm the entire family within five minutes.

However tempting, I wouldn’t make use of Erik’s direct connection to the commissioner, but I would grill them all about the killings and attacks on the brothel women.

“You want to crash dinner.”

Damn. Had I betrayed myself with a thoughtful expression? Upon retrospect, I realized I’d done just that. “I’ve been informed, by my parents, that Erik fully intends on hunting for me. If he’s seen the article, there’s very little hunting required. My father would cave given five minutes of interrogation. Erik probably already has my address, and that’s without using his police contacts to get the information. Would you tattle, Chester?”

“I wouldn’t even put up a fight about notifying my brother where you’re at, what you’re doing, and showing him pictures of your kitten. She’s quite cute, and I’m saying that as a man who likes dogs.”

I pointed in the direction of the living room. “She’s extra cute when using her wheel.”

The cop went to check out my kitten, and sure enough, he used his phone to take pictures. “He’s not going to be happy about where you’re living, by the way.”

Considering how my parents reacted, I expected Erik’s tantrum over my living situation to be worse. “Was it the stabbings or the murders that got to him?”

“Mostly the stabbings, as it’s common knowledge that Cecilia owns these apartments. It’s also assumed that women living in these apartments are brothel workers.”

“I’d make a terrible brothel worker. I demand loyalty.”

Erik’s brother snorted. “Dad made the suggestion that you may have delved into the dark world of brothel operations. The fight was spectacular. Then it was revealed that you just rescue animals and take the conjurations in for a bounty. Then they started doing the math. Erik then became offended, as you’re clearly getting by through bagging corpses and working as an undertaker of animals. Then he heard rumors about the venomous toad biting you.”

“Speaking of which, I need to pay Mouthy Asshole a visit. He’s sad without someone brave enough to handle him, Chester.”

“Care to come to dinner tonight? You can bring your pets with you. I’ll just pretend I’m bringing home a brothel worker to get the best reaction out of my family.”

I grinned. While I hadn’t bought many clothes, I’d gotten a rather slinky outfit for the days I needed to feel like a badass. “Let me go get changed. I have the perfect outfit. Are your parents prudes?”

“Not particularly. They’re more prude about actual behavior than showing skin. What are you going to wear?”

“Something that shows some skin and is made of leather. The other option is one of the dresses my mother foisted on me during that outing yesterday. Some of them are indecent.”

“Go with the leather. I don’t think my brother has ever seen you wearing anything leather.”

He hadn’t; I’d done my best to present myself as a goody-goody abider of the law prior to my flight from Miami. “My mother made me buy a wedding dress, Chester.”

“Having met your mother, I’m not surprised. I bet we could find someone to marry the two of you. Dragon Heights doesn’t have any restrictions or delays on marriage, nor does Wyoming. You could elope before playing your games.”

“I am going to pass on an invitation to my execution. My mother and father already helped pick out the wedding dress. If they don’t get to witness me wearing that dress, my head rolls.” I made a gesture of having my neck sliced right off. “And anyway, I think therapy will be required before marriage. I literally left him over our work.”

“You left for a good cause. Dad was shocked, but when he stopped to think about it, he thought your actions were as true of a sacrifice as it gets. Sure, you haven’t met our family at Erik’s request, but everyone knows about you. Mom loved you all the more because of it. You both had dreams. You’d gotten a chance to have yours. He hadn’t. You made sure he had a chance to get a full taste of it. And he has. Dad’ll even think about promoting him up to captaincy once a spot opens. He’s being integrated into the most likely post for there to be a position.”

“Which ward?”

“Diamond.”

That would cause more than a few problems. “They’re looking at making him a captain in the Diamond Ward?”

“The other captains have already offered their vote of approval for it; his time in Miami proved his mettle, and the fact he refused to toss you to the curb when you resigned over the necromancy accusations helped a lot. He did his due diligence and pursued justice. He could have let it slide and kept the job he’d wanted. Instead, he cleared your name despite knowing it might ruin his chances of staying a captain.” Chester took a few more photos of Garnet before crouching in front of Garnet’s stone collection. “These are hers?”

“Yeah, those are hers. Garnet, baby? Why don’t you show Chester your rocks?”

My kitten squeaked, abandoned her wheel, and bounded over to the yellow dragon. As always, she went straight for her smoky quartz, chirping and rubbing her face against it.

“I see she likes that one a lot.”

“She does. I bought it for her from Mr. Acri when he was at his shrine. He gave me a good deal on it.”

“May I?” Garnet squeaked but backed away from her stone. Chester picked it up and held it up so he could view it in better lighting. “How much did you pay for it?”

“He sold it to me for two hundred.”

“He must have liked how she looked with you. This is not a two hundred dollar stone.”

Damned dragons. “He low-balled me?”

“Rather significantly, actually.” Chester placed the stone in front of Garnet, picked up his phone, and tapped on the screen. “Most smoky quartz isn’t all that valuable. It’s common. Where this stone is valuable is due to where it was mined, its symmetry, and overall quality. Each spear is symmetrical. The color is an excellent jet black. It is not from one of the common mines. A similar stone from the same mine, but of lower quality and size, recently sold for five thousand dollars.”

I bowed my head and heaved a sigh. “I got suckered because I don’t know anything about rocks.”

“That is not what being suckered is, Kinsley. Being suckered would be paying five thousand for a two hundred dollar stone. You can’t even say you suckered that black dragon because he made the offer. You probably knew nothing of its value.”

“I didn’t know a chunk of uncut stone could even sell for that much,” I admitted. I joined them, petted my kitten, and pulled out the blue garnet. “Was I suckered when I bought the blue garnet?”

“No. The cyans price their wares fairly. You would have paid market value for the stone.”

“Maybe I can give Mr. Acri a check to cover the difference,” I muttered. The stone would be a problem, and I’d find a way to give the black dragon what he was properly owed. “How much would it normally sell for?”

“Probably seven thousand for size, specimen quality, and prestige.”

I’d have to work my ass off on bounties and private investigations to pay for it—or do as my mother wanted and dip into my savings account. “I’ll make certain he receives appropriate payment for it. It’s her favorite stone, and he deserves to be paid fairly for it.”

“What if he wanted it to be a gift for Garnet?”

“We can fight over the money. He seems like the kind of dragon who enjoys when someone gets in his face about something.”

Chester stared at me as though I’d lost my mind. “Were you aware he’s the leader of the black dragons?”

“I’m quite aware. He seems to be a nice enough dragon, even when I told him I belonged to my kitten and he needed to take his interest elsewhere.”

“You didn’t.”

“I absolutely did. Then he sold me the stone for two hundred.”

“Well, I can see why he’d do that. He does like when people treat him like he’s a person rather than an entity to be feared. He does work with the police, especially on tough cases, and we’ve learned to give him shit when he deserves it. But you wouldn’t have known that.”

“No, I hadn’t. I just saw Garnet was getting upset, so I tried to find a somewhat polite way to tell him to stop bothering her.” Paying the black dragon would be a bother, but I’d do so while smiling.

Garnet loved the stone, which made it priceless.

As there was no time better than the present, I grabbed my phone, located Mr. Acri’s number in my microscopic contact list, and sent him a text message inquiring if he’d like the remaining six thousand and eight hundred for the stone as cash or as a check.

A few moments later, my phone rang, and the display indicated the black dragon wanted to speak to me personally. While hesitant, I swiped my finger across the screen and answered, “Good evening, Mr. Acri.”

The black dragon’s laughter rumbled. “I have been caught, I see. How did you find out its true value?”

“There are dragons nosing about my business, and one of them was kind enough to give a rough appraisal as it’s Garnet’s absolute favorite stone. I’d like to pay you its proper value.”

“My clan owns the mine that stone was found. My wife found it. A stone is only worth what people are willing to pay—or what is offered. I do appreciate your integrity and honor, however. That has even more value than the money you have offered. Keep your money, Miss Kinsley. Consider the difference to be a gift. You are clearly doing your best to provide for your little family. That is of far more importance than money. The rest of your purchases were made at honest market value. As you say, we are nosy dragons, investigating the business of others at our whim. Does that give you some peace?”

“Some, yes. Thank you. Still, that’s a great deal of loss on your part.”

“It’s no loss at all. I saw young Garnet’s joy with her stone today, and that she cherishes it enough you are bringing it with you so she can have it when you’re busy shows far more about your character than you may realize—or appreciate.”

No kidding. “I will find a way to repay you,” I swore.

“A most potent threat indeed. I shall be on my guard against such a thing. Have yourself a good evening.”

Before I had a chance to say another word, Enzo Acri hung up. I wrinkled my nose. “He refused the money, and he said his wife had found it from one of their mines.”

“They own the mine, yes. Two hundred was likely their base expenses for the trip. And Mrs. Acri loves the underdog, which you are. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

I would, but I made a point of pretending I wouldn’t for his comfort more than mine. “All right. So, you think I should show up in leather?”

“Trust me when I say that you showing up in leather will stun the entire lot of them. I was under the impression that would be among the last things you might do.”

“Drastic times call for drastic measures. I’ll go get changed. Garnet, show Chester where your favorite milk is along with your favorite bottle of hot sauce and your potatoes. Also, show him where Tourmaline’s travel nectar is. I think it’s time to teach Erik I am not a wilting lily or a coward. Yes, I ran—but I did not run because I was afraid for my sake.”

“You were worried for his. Please trust me when I say he knows this. And he’s not mad at you, but he does regret everything you two have missed because of Miami’s prejudices.”

“That makes two of us.”